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Heritage to Horizons: Retired loadmaster highlights 60 years of airlift, tankers

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
  • U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center Public Affairs
NASHVILLE, Tenn. --  His experience showed. With 30 years of Air Force experience and another 13 as a loadmaster for the aerospace industry, retired Chief Master Sgt. Bill Cannon presented a wealth of knowledge on more than 60 years of airlift and tanker history at the 2007 Airlift/Tanker Association Convention here Oct. 27.

Chief Cannon's presentation, entitled, "Sixty-plus Years of Airlift and Tanker Legacies," covered the history of more than a dozen airlift aircraft - from the C-46 Curtiss Commando of World War II to the C-17 Globemaster III of today. He also highlighted early air refueling accomplishments with aircraft such as the C-2 "Question Mark" to the KC-135 Stratotanker. Mostly, Chief Cannon focused on his experience in airlift.

The chief, who retired in 1982, worked as a loadmaster on the C-54 Skymaster, C-124 Globemaster II, C-130 Hercules and C-141 Starlifter during his Air Force career. He reflected on the importance and growth of early airlift planes.

"C-54s, C-46s and C-47s (Skytrain), for instance, really carried the Berlin Airlift," Chief Cannon said. "This was an airlift where two and a half million tons of cargo was carried to aid the people in East Berlin. It was a great effort."

He added on how, during World War II, the U.S. military was looking to improve airlift capability.

"Cargo was getting bigger at that time - especially between 1941 and 1945," Chief Cannon said. "As they experimented, there was a thought to sling cargo underneath aircraft with cables and move it that way. They tried it at the proving grounds and found that it wasn't very feasible to hang a tank, for instance. But, they were looking for ways to do things."

The chief said cargo was getting bigger and the airplanes weren't, so the aerospace industry and the military worked together to design something bigger. Enter the C-74 Globemaster.

"When they designed planes back then, they also had to be able to be flown commercially so the C-74 was designed to fly commercial as well to carry passengers," Chief Cannon said. "Pan Am (Airlines), as a matter of fact, ordered 26 of them. The airplane had two cockpits originally on the very top of the aircraft. It was a big, strong plane."

Those early airlift planes graduated into newer models to greet a growing airlift mission worldwide, the chief said. That's when the C-124 became the second Globemaster and a plane Chief Cannon said he flew on for many years.

"Back in the day, each command had their own cargo airplanes," Chief Cannon said. "Strategic Air Command had four squadrons of C-124s. As a matter of fact, I was in one of those squadrons myself for quite a long time."

Chief Cannon said the C-124 had loading ramps in the front of the plane that were ideal for loading cargo and the front doors opened like a clam shell.

"The ramps were steep - at a 17-degree angle with a 30-percent slope," Chief Cannon said. "You could back vehicles in with or as cargo and you could load in passengers and go. It just took them a little bit of time. The plane was also good at carrying missiles."

The C-124 was also used for airdrops, Chief Cannon said. The way it operated was much different from planes of today, but the cargo was much the same.

"We could airdrop paratroopers - up to 180 of them, and cargo," Chief Cannon said. "In the back of the plane, the underneath of the airplane had elevator doors that opened up and we could drop our cargo out, or paratroopers could jump out. We used the A-22 airdrop containers for cargo - the same ones that are being air dropped in Iraq right now. They are basically the same container."

In some cases, airdrops didn't go so well with the C-124.

"I remember we airdropped a crate of breakfast cereal, and as it went out through the elevator well it busted open," Chief Cannon said. "The whole inside of the plane was filled with cereal."

Improvements in design and capability led to the C-130 - a plane still in use today. Chief Cannon said he learned about the aircraft's ability during his time in Vietnam.

"An airplane like the C-130 is fast enough and can do the job," Chief Cannon said. "A lot of thought was put into it. The person who designed it wanted to be able to load it up like a truck - like a truck bed with an airframe. In Vietnam, we had a quite a few squadrons of C-130s. It did a great job."

Chief Cannon said the C-130 is also a good airdrop plane. In Vietnam, he said the use of the Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System was popular.

"We used the LAPES method at quite a few places," Chief Cannon said. "I remember re-supplying a refugee camp and we couldn't land on the runway because it was covered with water and the camp was being overrun. The only way we could get in there was through this LAPES airdrop system. We would fly one drop in, drop, go back and pick up another one or two platforms and then we'd drop again."

The chief also talked of how the jet age improved airlift capabilities. He talked of the C-141 and the C-5 Galaxy and of Operation Babylift in Vietnam where a C-5A crash landed. The C-5A he referred to had sustained a catastrophic decompression at 23,000 feet while exiting the Vietnam coastline. Control lines were severed. Only the heroic airmanship of retired Col. Bud Traynor made a skidding, Saigon River-hopping, rice-paddy landing possible. One hundred and thirty eight people people died that day, but 176 survived. Colonel Traynor received the Air Force Cross for heroic actions.

"We have heard from people who were on that plane when it landed," Chief Cannon said. "When you hear them tell their story, it's just heartbreaking from what happened and how it finished. You can hear a pin drop the room when Bud Traynor is telling the story of the crash."

As for personally flying on the C-141, Chief Cannon said it was a good airplane with many uses.

"It was a good airdrop plane, good for carrying troops - anything," Chief Cannon said. "The rollerized system allowed it to airdrop things up to 72 feet long. Paratroopers liked it for dropping. Overall, everything on the 141 'downstairs,' as we called it, was good."

After retirement from the Air Force, Chief Cannon joined programs to work on improving the C-130 and building the C-17. In the C-17 program, he feels that was one of the highlights of his career.

"Our crew would go out of the gate, take a look at the C-17 and how it grew," Chief Cannon said. "We'd see how it was doing, and we'd say, 'hey there's an engine on it now,' and 'there's wings on it now.' It was a lot of fun to see this airplane grow over a three-year period. It turned out to be a great airplane."

On the subject of air refueling and tankers, the chief covered some of that history as well.
He discussed the KB-29 and KB-50 aerial tankers. He also talked of the KC-97 Stratotanker.

"The KC-97s were also a conversion from the C-97, a civilian plane," Chief Cannon said. "The KC-97s did a good job for a long, long time. They couldn't go too fast, but they could carry cargo at the same time and were great for both airlift and refueling missions."

Chief Cannon also talked about the KC-135 Stratotanker and the KC-10 Extender as well. He talked of how they have kept the Air Force going in the air refueling business now for more than 50 years.

"These planes have refueled everything from the F-101 Voodoo to the B-2," Chief Cannon said. "They've done great things all over the world."

In completing his presentation, Chief Cannon cited a verse from the new Airman's Creed, saying it is a good reminder to all Airmen of the sacrifices made by the proud members of the Air Force airlift and tanker community and throughout the Air Force.

"I am an American Airman," he said. "My mission is to fly, fight and win. I am faithful to the proud heritage, a tradition of honor, and a legacy of valor. And with that, thank you very much for your time."